Coldplay news round-up: Arm-bending pianist played Clocks, Willie Nelson covers The Scientist, EMI in new legal battle

A US university student has turned a rare genetic condition into a viral video after he was able to play a rendition of Clocks while seated with his back to the piano keyboard. The video, which you can watch now at the messageboard shows Evan Petrone twisting his arms into a seemingly impossible position, then, after adjusting his shoulders, start to play the opening chords. "I've always been able to bend my arms all over the place," Mr Petrone says. "And I eventually began to wonder if I could play piano backwards."

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome means he has unusually loose joints and ligaments. While this usually causes chronic pain for sufferers, in his case it makes for party tricks. Mr Petrone said he chose the song because it was simple and repetitive, but it still took him more than five hours to master. "I had to force my brain to play in a completely different way, and it was extremely difficult", he says. "You can tell there are still mistakes in the video. I feel bad getting attention for my EDS, because I literally have ‘the fun kind’. I know people who suffer chronic pain because of their EDS and live very restricted lifestyles."

Meanwhile if you haven't already seen it, Willie Nelson has covered The Scientist for a new Chipotle restaurants commercial that stands beside small farmers and in direct opposition of factory created pork, poultry and steak. The 2 minute video will play in theaters across the U.S. You can also watch The Making Of video as well. [thanks the_escapist & Saketblitz]

The video, called "Back to the Start," tells the story of an adorable farmer who turns his organic farm into a huge factory farm only to realize the error of his ways. The message: Industry and science are hurting the animals and food that we eat. Chipotle sponsored the video to show the importance of sustainable food and also to emphasize its focus on natural, organic products in its restaurants. The video will appear in movie theaters, and the cover song will also be sold in iTunes with $0.60 of each download going to the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which supports sustainable agriculture and education.

Coldplay’s original video for “The Scientist” showed a man grieving after his girlfriend is killed in a car crash, with the video played in reverse. “Back to the Start” takes the same concept of reversing time. It’s not a perfect fit, but Nelson, a long-time family farm advocate, makes it work.

Private equity group Terra Firma is launching another legal action over the music firm EMI, according to the BBC today. US bank Citigroup seized ownership of EMI in February after previous owner Terra Firma failed a solvency test on its £2.6bn debts. EMI is home to artists including Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Katy Perry and Iron Maiden.

Terra Firma has now asked the High Court in London to have accountants turn over documents relating to how the bank came to that decision. A hearing will be held later this year. Terra Firma, which says it did not miss any of its interest payments on its debt to Citigroup, wants to know how it was decided by PricewaterhouseCoopers that the private equity firm could not pay its debts. The US bank declined to comment and is not involved in the legal action.